Externally worn, sanitary napkins are one of many kinds of feminine protection devices currently available. The development of materials having a high liquid absorption capacity per unit volume has allowed the required overall thickness of sanitary napkins to be reduced, thereby providing a product which is more comfortable and less obtrusive to wear. Thin, flexible, sanitary napkins of this type are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,264 to T. W. Osborne III.
Applicants have found that it can be difficult to handle thin, flexible, absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins. The very properties that make them desirable in use (e.g., high flexibility), can make them difficult to handle and place into position prior to use. For example, a thin, flexible sanitary napkin having positioning adhesive thereon, may tend to fold onto itself, causing the positioning adhesive to prematurely stick to other surfaces of the sanitary napkin, thereby rendering the napkin unsuitable for use.
As such, applicants have recognized there is a need for absorbent articles that are easy to handle and place into position against the undergarment prior to use, but are also thin and highly flexible during use.